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Mesa and Garfield Counties Colorado, and Grand San JuanWayne and <br />Garfield Counties, Utah. The Colorado River and its 100-year floodplain from <br />the Colorado River Bridge at exit 90 north off Interstate 70 in T. 6 S., R. 93 W., <br />section 16 (6th Principal Meridian) to North Wash, including the Dirty Devil arm <br />of Lake Powell up to the full pool elevation, in T. 33 S., R. 14 E., section 29 (Salt <br />Lake Meridian). <br />San Juan County. New Mexico; and San Juan County, Utah. The San Juan River <br />and its 100-year floodplain from the State Route 371 Bridge in T. 29 N., <br />R. 13 W., section 17 (New Mexico Meridian) to Neskahai Canyon in the San Juan <br />arm of Lake Powell in T. 41 S., R. 11 E., section 26 (Salt Lake Meridian) up to <br />the full pool elevation. <br />The final critical habitat rule identified water, physical habitat, and the biological <br />environment as the Primary Constituent Elements (PCEs) of critical habitat. The water <br />PCE was further described as including a quantity of water of sufficient quality (i.e., <br />temperature, dissolved oxygen, lack of contaminants, nutrients, turbidity, etc.) that is <br />delivered to a specific location in accordance with a hydrologic regime that is required <br />for the particular life stage for each species. The physical habitat includes areas of the <br />Colorado River system that are inhabited or potentially habitable by fish for use in <br />spawning, nursery, feeding, and rearing, or serve as corridors between these areas. In <br />addition to river channels, these areas also include bottom lands, side channels, secondary <br />channels, oxbows, backwaters, and other areas in the 100-year floodplain, which when <br />inundated provide access to spawning, nursery, feeding, and rearing habitats. The <br />biological environment PCE includes food supply predation, and competition. Food <br />supply is a function of nutrient supply, productivity, and availability to each life stage of <br />the species. Predation and competition, although considered normal components of this <br />environment, are out of balance due to introduced nonnative fish species in many areas. <br />Species/Critical Habitat Likely to be Affected <br />The Colorado pikeminnow and its critical habitat in the action area are likely to be <br />adversely affected. The area of critical habitat likely to be affected is, the Colorado River <br />at the confluence with Salt Creek in T. 9 S., R. 103 W., section 33 (Ute Meridian), <br />continuing down from this point of the Colorado River and its 100-year floodplain to <br />North Wash, and the Dirty Devil arm of Lake Powell up to the full pool elevation, in <br />T. 33 S., R. 14 E., section 29 (Salt Lake Meridian). <br />Analysis of Species/Critical Habitat Likely to be Affected <br />The Grand Valley area is occupied year round by Colorado pikeminnow and has been <br />identified as important habitat. The densities of adult Colorado pikeminnow are <br />especially high in the Colorado River in the Grand Valley (Figure 1). The Colorado <br />River in the Grand Valley is divided into two reaches: the 15-mile reach (above the <br />confluence of the Gunnison River) and the 18-mile reach (below the confluence of the <br />Gunnison River) shown as stratum 8 and 9 in Figure 1. The proposed project site is just <br />below the 18-mile reach. <br />14